NBA changing All-Star Game format, adding a Kobe Bryant tribute

There will be $500,000 for charity at stake during this year's NBA All-Star Game. And the format will feature a twist in tribute to Kobe Bryant in the 4th quarter.

Author: Associated Press

Published: 2:26 PM EST January 30, 2020

Updated: 2:26 PM EST January 30, 2020

Kobe Bryant's jersey number will be chased at this year's NBA All-Star Game.

The NBA says this year's game will have a brand new format.

The team that wins each quarter will receive money for charity, then scores will be reset at the start of the second and third quarters.

They'll be restored to begin the fourth quarter, which will be un-timed. That's when the tribute to Bryant and the No. 24 jersey he wore for the last decade of his career comes in.

The winning team in the All-Star Game will be the first team to add 24 points to a "target score," which is determined by the total points the team in the lead scored in the first three quarters combined.

The 24 is a tribute to Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

Credit: AP

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant pounds his chest after the last NBA basketball game of his career, against the Utah Jazz, Wednesday, April 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

According to the Associated Press, the NBA said there will be multiple tributes to Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and the seven others killed in the helicopter crash.

There will also be at least $500,000 for Chicago-area charities at stake from the game. Each of the first three quarters is worth $100,000 and the final score is worth another $200,000, AP reported. If one team were to sweep all four quarters, the other team would still receive $100,000 for charity.